[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by snap2329

ask a friend to get it in cabin/check-in baggage. Would there be any additional taxes upon arrival in India?

If aggregate value of all items is less than 50k, no taxes / duties would be applicable.

What is the market price of this item in India ?

If luggage has 1 lakh items in total , tax would be around 40% on (1 lakh -50k). Tax includes various surcharges as well.

[snap2329]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

If aggregate value of all items is less than 50k, no taxes / duties would be applicable.

What is the market price of this item in India ?

If luggage has 1 lakh items in total , tax would be around 40% on (1 lakh -50k). Tax includes various surcharges as well.

not Officially available in India, though there are few local vendors who import and Sell it here.

price in USA / Canada is around 80-85k when converted to INR., But the pricing here is almost 1.1 lakh up till 1.4

It wouldnt have been an issue if this were a regular console electronic since it could have passed of as a personal gaming device, but this one Stands out pretty much and bound to raise queries.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by snap2329

Can I carry this from USA to India?

I want to get this from USA and would ask a friend to get it in cabin/check-in baggage. Would there be any additional taxes upon arrival in India?

No one bothers with such things. Usually, customs officials do not look at regular folks like in the past. The best will be to put in a check-in. I will avoid large products like this in the cabin.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by snap2329

price in USA / Canada is around 80-85k when converted to INR...this one Stands out pretty much and bound to raise queries.

Yes, any bag with large electronic items is marked with large X in white chalk (these are scanned before loading on belt), if traveler walks though green channel; all such bags are pulled for scanning.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

No one bothers with such things. Usually, customs officials do not look at regular folks like in the past.

At least in Mumbai, they do identify bags to inspect.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

marked with large X in white chalk

Can easily be accidentally covered up by another bag

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Can easily be accidentally covered up by another bag

They also have people roaming around belt . Customs is just few steps from belts. Though more than electronics, larger concern is drug and iPhone mules travelling together but separating before customs and people who are nervous. All such cases get X.

Someone shared a video from HYD :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyilCwYxIW8

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

iPhone mules

Undermining the very fabric of society! They deserve whatever they get

In that short video, I noticed one bag marked on at least two sides, but one marked on the bottom which is plainly not going to visibly if it wheeled out.

It's ages since I travelled internationally. The only time my white cross got spotted and I was sent to a desk, it was a bunch of wires that had attracted attention. I'd bought five or six 4-way adapters in Singapore. Thank goodness they didn't find my chocolate stash!

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Yes, any bag with large electronic items is marked with large X in white chalk (these are scanned before loading on belt), if traveler walks though green channel; all such bags are pulled for scanning.

At least in Mumbai, they do identify bags to inspect.

My only experience in Mumbai - they pretty much put that X mark almost on all bags and send it through scanner. It is even before going through customs green channel. Few months ago, my bag was marked too though it has only dirty clothes and some chocolates My colleagues bags also got scanned. None of it had any electronics or high value items. Hardly few bags didn't had that chalk mark.

This chalk X marking I used to see in Bangalore airport even 10 years ago. My friend used to dip hand kerchief in water and keep it ready to remove the marking from belt itself I generally have not observed this in Chennai Airport.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

... I generally have not observed this in Chennai Airport.

They do it. Still? I can't say, my last time was 2019

[shankar.balan]

On a recent trip to the EU I brought back several scale model cars of 1:43 size and all. Of course these were of high quality and of a certain ‘higher-than-normal price-band’ as well, being from the Mercedes and Porsche museum shops. We flew back as usual into Bangalore. My suitcase was marked X in chalk and as I was walking out after collecting it, a customs official fixed his beady black basilisk eyes on me and gestured that I need to scan my suitcase. I was quite tired because of the unearthly hours that these International flights land into our dearly beloved homeland, but smiled at him and told him that it was only toy cars for my collection and heaved my suitcase onto that scanner conveyor belt and again told the scanner operator the same thing. Then I took the suitcase and buzzed off.

[Amrik Singh]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Luxury watches are classified as jewellery for customs

Here is what is purely at the discretion of Customs Officials. Normally, they do not bother about what normal people would bring in on their person.
Exceptions are Players, Actors etc. who have earned money abroad in short time and exchange it for costly goods or have received expensive gifts before returning. We do come across news of them being detained at Customs and made to pay duty.

[JMaruru]

Has anyone got an iPhone '15 Pro Max' from US into India, in the recent past? Had seen few years back B'lore customs looking particularly for new iPhones of arriving passengers.

Please share your experience, especially at B'lore customs.

[d.w.w.]

The Customs are mostly interested in 2 things - Gold(flights coming in from middle east) and electronics. If your bag doesn't contain any of this, you are most likely to pass. Earlier this year my brother was carrying a heavy circular saw blade along with few other metal tools for me. His luggage was flagged in Bangalore and the Customs officer asked about the heavy metal content inside. He told they are just woodworking tools and even showed my social media account where I share my wood work and they let him pass, didn't even bother to ask how much they cost.

[BoltThrower]

Hi all. Has anyone here ever hand carried (check in luggage) a slip-on exhaust and mid pipe for a motorcycle back to India from abroad? Were you charged customs duty for it? I stand to save 17k if I hand carry it from the US. What are the chances that I will be flagged and made to pay duties on it upon entering India?

[BlackBeard]

My experience with India customs is as follows:

SEA PORTS:
"Thorough un-professionals" right definition for them. They will scrounge around and take away whatever suits their fancy and/or threaten with dire consequences if they don't have their way. Then there is the "black gang" who are officially authorized to rummage through in case of suspicion.

AIR PORTS:
Better than their aforementioned counterparts.
I guess Middle east & South East Asia routes are prone to smuggling so scrutiny is more but having said that I personally have never experienced any harassment yet, some cursory checks. I guess they certainly profile their "customers" depending on the flight sector, appearance, luggage size/quantity.